The Mirrorverse
by madgirl22
Summary: So what if the mallrats were evil and the technos were good? Would Amber be a horrible person and Ram a peacekeeper? And where does Jay fit in? Season 4 AU
1. Chapter 1

Jay let out an enraged scream, violently thrashing the punch bag with his bare fists. It frustrated him so much; these technos, an unbearable force of good aimed at bringing peace to the city by first taming the savages who inhabited it. They'd tricked him into thinking that they were all about power, and chaos, but he wasn't so sure anymore.

Knock knock. "Hello? Jay? Are you in there?" Came the soft female voice from behind the door. It was Ebony again. When they had first met, she seemed interesting- and she had power, having just been elected city leader, but Jay soon learned that she had the same objective as Ram and his Technos- to bring about peace and democracy. Jay liked her a lot, but was beginning to question whether his values were the same as hers, and he wasn't in the mood for her right now.

" Go away." Jay replied angrily, " I'm not interested in whatever you have to say right now." He threw another punch towards the punching bag, causing it to swing wildly.

" But Jay honey, I just wanted to see you. It's important."

" Fine," Jay groaned, " Come in if you have to."

The door quickly opened. Ebony sauntered in, a sweet smile spread across her face as she laid her eyes upon Jay. Her hair flowed naturally down, sitting on her shoulders. With her pale white cotton dress and matching shoes, not to mention the giant yellow smiley face that had been plastered to her left cheek. He had thought, having heard that Ebony was previously a member of the infamous mallrats, living directly under the dictatorship of the great Amber and Bray themselves, she might actually have a shred of evil left inside her. But no; nothing but roses and smiles- that was Ebony nowadays, not that there was anything wrong with that- she was great as she was. However, today, Jay was not in the mood for her pleasantries.

Ebony set down on the chair opposite the bed. Jay put his hands behind his head and leaned back on the headrest of the bed, not even bothering to look at Ebony; he was too angry at Ram to make small talk.

"How are you today?" Ebony asked harmoniously. Jay was not in the mood.

" What do you want Ebony?" he asked impatiently, still not making eye contact with his girlfriend.

" I just needed your company Jay; I'm scared." Ebony whimpered. Jay looked up.

" Of what?" he asked eagerly. Ebony-scared? Finally things were starting to get interesting around here.

" I just saw Lex in the lobby." Ebony replied. Jay listened intently- he had met Lex a couple of times, so he knew that him and Ebony were close. They were both mallrats together, but they seemed to be the nicer of the pack- Ebony much more so than Lex, who, though he _did _have a soft side, would never betray his tribe like Ebony did. " He came to tell me that Amber's back. And I just know that she'll come after me Jay. After what I did to her and Bray…" Ebony says, her voice getting higher as she grew more panicked.

Jay had also heard about Ebony's triumph over the mallrats- mustering up the conviction to banish her competition. But people had also been afraid of what might happen if one or both of the former dictators came back- they would be vengeful, and, just like the way they had demolished the last democracy attempted to bring peace to the city back in the days of the guardian and his chosen followers, they would make it their pleasure to destroy Ram's efforts also. Jay was hopeful.

"Jay, are you listening to me?" Ebony demanded, " Amber has escaped from Ram's highest security prison and she's come back to kill me!"

" Ram had her prisoner?" Jay queried. Why hadn't he known about this? He _was_ a Techno general after all.

" Yeah," Ebony said, calming down slightly, " He found her out in the bush, torturing some innocent kids…"

Jay grinned slightly at the idea. He stood up quickly, leaving Ebony without so much as a goodbye. Ebony sighed, with a look of deep hurt in her eyes- Jay didn't care about her.


	2. Chapter 2

Jay paced up and down Ram's office, eagerly awaiting the answer to the question that had been plaguing his mind since he spoke to Ebony; why didn't he know about any of these so-called holding facilities.

" Look Jay," Ram said as he polished the giant sparkly "T" plastered on the wall behind his desk, " I didn't tell you about the prisons because law enforcement is Ved's department, not yours."

" So what exactly am I good for then? Invasions?"

Ram squirmed at the word and turned around, forcing himself to smile at his general.

" Let's not call them 'Invasions' shall we. I much prefer the word… _Liberation."_

Jay rolled his eyes. Ram was another person who absolutely disgusted him. Sitting there in his leather throne, wearing a white robe that looked like something out of ancient Greece. Ram designed the techno uniforms himself- white lycra overshirts with golden stripes down both arms, complete with matching white trousers and leather boots. Jay hated it- so much that he had his personalized to suit his own color preferences- replacing the white with black and the gold with red. Ram didn't mind; he was a pushover, Jay knew that.

" Anyway, I was thinking of sending Java and Siva over to make a truce with Amber." Ram suggested, "She might listen to reason if it's coming from a woman." Ram was referring to Amber's feminist personality- it was well known that she despised male leaders.

" It's ok, I'll go instead." Jay offered eagerly, having always wanted to meet the woman so feared throughout the city.

" But she'll hate you; you're a man." Ram said, perplexed.

" She didn't hate Bray." Jay replied, " They had a kid together."

" Spawn of the devil." Ram squirmed, " If you ask me; Bray's lucky we liberated the city, otherwise he'd still be stuck with her."

" If you ask _me" _Jay said, standing up from his chair, " _You're_ lucky we caught Bray when we liberated the city. Otherwise you would probably already be dead, or need I remind you of how they dealt with the guardian and his lot?"

Ram gulped.

" Fine." he said, " You can go. Just be careful; you may wear black but you're still a techno."

Jay had already left the room. Ram had a worried expression on his face.

Jay marched confidently into the ruins of what was once a mall of high standards- at least until the mallrats moved in anyway. The guardrails were half hanging off the hinges, and graffiti covered every single wall. Jay stopped short of the stairs and took in his surroundings.

Woosh! Jay spun around to see an arrow wedged into the pole next to him. It had just missed his heart.

" You missed." A female voice echoed through the foyer.

A young woman, whom he recognized as Amber's best friend- Trudy, made her way down the stairs. Her short hair was dark purple, and she had heavy black eye shadow forming deep shadows under her eyes. She pursed her lips as she took a look at him; they too, were a dark shade of black. She wore a dark purple singlet, with black fishnet sleeves cutting off at the elbow, and her skirt, also black, cut off just above the knee.

" What do you want?" She asked impatiently.

" I've come to see Amber."


	3. Chapter 3

Trudy laughed slightly, folding her arms and looking Jay up and down. As she opened her mouth to speak, another, male, voice cut in.

" Well that's too bad; she doesn't want to see any of you do-gooders around here." Pride said as slid down the stair rail, jumping onto the ground from midway to the bottom.

Jay glanced down towards Pride's right hand; he held a crossbow.

" So it was you I have to thank for that near death experience then?" Jay said, glancing at the arrow in the wall.

" I wasn't trying to kill you." Pride stated.

" Could've fooled me." Jay laughed.

Pride glared at him.

Jay glared back. He had encountered Pride before- roaming the city trying to bring about terror and destruction in anyway possible. Pride was quite tall, and muscular. Like Trudy- he seemed to prefer to dress in black. He wore a black shirt and leather trousers to match. A series of tattoos sleeved his entire left arm; Jay noticed an eagle was also tattooed to his neck.

" Look," Jay said, his voice strong and unwavering," I've not come here to arrest her. I've come to meet her, as per Ram's orders. Now if you choose to obstruct me then I shall be forced to go and get backup and then you'll all be taken in."

" What makes you think we're going to let you leave?" Pride snarled

" Pride!" Trudy said angrily. She turned to Jay, " Come with me. But I'm warning you- you're digging your own grave."

Jay nodded as Trudy gestured for him to follow her up the stairs. Pride tagged along closely behind, poking his crossbow into Jay's back.

Trudy led Jay through a set of red silk curtains and into a large candle-lit room.

" There's someone here to see you Amber," she said monotonously.

Amber appeared from round the corner.

Jay gaped at the sigh of her; she was truly stunning. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was streaked in black, but she wore no tribal makeup- just pale red lipstick. Her top was almost identical to Trudy's, except red rather than purple. She wore black leather shorts with fishnet stockings to match and her boots were much like everyone else's- black leather.

" Well, well, well," she said, a scowl on her face, " Look what the cat dragged in."

" Ram sent me," Jay said, " To talk to you about a truce."

Trudy and Pride still stood close to Jay, not even allowing him room to move.

" Ram is kidding himself if he thinks I'm going to make a truce with a piece of scum like him." Amber cackled, her voice bouncing off each of the walls.

" You're right. He is. But he was going to send an army to come and talk to you and I convinced him otherwise, so I would appreciate it if you let me talk to you _alone, _rather than have me guarded by your two little minions here, one of whom still won't remove that stupid crossbow from behind my back!" Jay replied calmly, looking at Pride, who simply pushed the crossbow even further into Jay's spine.

Amber walked up to him, stopping only when they were just a few centimeters apart from each other. Jay could feel her sweet scented breath on his face.

" Don't you DARE come here and start disrespecting my friends!" she said in a harsh whisper.

Jay didn't flinch.

" Do you think I'm afraid of you?" he said, almost amused

Amber smiled slightly, obviously impressed.

" Leave us," she ordered. Trudy and Pride hesitated. " Now!"

The duo quickly left the room, too scared to defy their leader.

" So," Amber said, sitting down on the maroon silk sheets of her bed, " You've no doubt heard of me, but I don't know a thing about you."

" Where do you want me to begin?" Jay asked, still stood by the door.

" Start with your name." Amber directed, " We'll take it from there."


	4. Chapter 4

Another arrow hit the bulls-eye on the target. Pride smiled to himself, lowering the crossbow. Trudy handed him another arrow.

" She must like him." Trudy commented

" Why do you say that?" Pride asked as he shot another arrow

" He's still alive isn't he?" Trudy asked rhetorically

" Not for long if I get my way." Pride frowned

" I wonder what Salene would think of you still being hopelessly devoted to your ex." Trudy said, her voice shrewd.

" What she doesn't know won't hurt her." Pride shrugged as he fired yet another arrow.

" You're never gonna get Amber back you know. She's not interested in you anymore. You're not man enough." Trudy declared

" What's that supposed to mean?" Pride asked sounding hurt.

" Amber likes a challenge. That's why her and Bray worked so well."

" Are you kidding?" Pride asked exasperatedly, " They never stopped fighting!"

" Exactly." Trudy nodded, " He had his own opinion and she had hers, that's why together, they were explosive. _You_ should be worried about that techno- he's got eyes for her. And if I had to choose between you and him then I know I'd definitely be going for that blonde bombshell…" Trudy said, fanning herself with her hand as she drifted off into a daze.

Pride grabbed her by the arm and stood her up quickly, pointing his crossbow straight at her chest; his finger placed on the trigger.

Trudy looked momentarily surprised, but then smiled widely.

" What are you going to do?" she taunted, " Kill me?"

" Don't force my hand." Pride warned

Trudy leant in closer to Pride, not afraid of his threat.

" You wouldn't." she whispered, only inches away from Pride's lips, " Because you know that if you did, Amber would never look twice at you. I mean, yeah, she likes a man with blood on his hands, but not her best friend's blood… that's practically suicide. Still, go ahead- if you dare…"

Pride dropped the crossbow down to his side, releasing Trudy from his grip.

" Just what I thought." Trudy sighed, laughing, " You're _not_ man enough to kill anybody Pride. That's why you '_missed_' Jay earlier isn't it."

Pride didn't reply.

" Does Amber realize that her little hitman, would never _hit_ anyone? Or is that a secret?" Trudy teased. Pride gulped. " Interesting." Trudy observed.

Pride watched as Trudy sauntered out of the room with a huge smirk on her face.

"Say hi to Salene for me." Trudy called on her way out.

Angry, Pride looked up and shot the target. The arrow vibrated as it hit the bulls-eye, joining all of the other arrows.

Ram looked at Ved with his eyes narrowed. Ved shifted uncomfortably as he tried to avoid Ram's gaze.

" Your brother's gone to the mall to try and fix things with Amber." Ram stated, his face expressionless, " But what I want to know, is how she ever managed to escape our MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON in the first place…"

" It was her friends," Ved started, " They managed to create a diversion."

" And this '_diversion' _somehow led to Amber opening the _triple_ locked door to her cell and waltzing out of there?" Ram questioned angrily

" No sir." Ved said quietly, " Someone let her out. We think it was an inside job."

" And the traitor?" Ram asked expectantly

" Unknown." Ved coughed

" Yeah well you'd better find them soon or you will be the one to suffer the consequences." Ram sneered, " Got it?"

" Yes sir," Ved nodded

" Now leave please. I have important business to attend to."

The silence between Jay and Amber was almost deafening. Jay stood before her, desperately trying to remain calm as Amber's eyes scanned him intently from her spot on the end of the bed.

" I heard about your escape." Jay started, finally breaking the silence, " Sneaking out of a high security prison without getting the attention of any of the guards, I'm almost impressed."

" I still have a few loyal followers… they were more than happy to lend a hand." Amber replied abruptly

" I heard about Bray, I'm sorry." Jay said cautiously

" No you're not." Amber scowled, " _You're _the one who took him in the first place. It's your fault that my baby doesn't have a father! You and your Technos."

" We're just trying to bring about peace to the city- a proper system, which is why we need your cooperation- the people fear you, they'll listen if you tell them what to do." Jay argued.

That was it. Amber lost it, standing up and marching towards Jay, leaving only inches between them.

" We had a system! Power and Chaos! And just because it was run differently to your regime doesn't mean you can just waltz on in and enforce your values upon my people." Amber yelled, her voice wavered slightly- Jay spotted tears in her eyes. " All you've done is ruin everything that Bray and I fought so hard for. How dare you stand there in front of me and talk about truces. There is no way that I would _ever _support your cause. Now get out of my sight- you disgust me!"

Jay's eyes pleaded with her to see reason, but Amber stood firmly. Sighing, Jay turned around, and began to leave the room. Amber watched silently as he stopped in her doorway, turning to face her once more.

" I'll be back you know." he said, " And I really am sorry… about Bray. Just know, it was Ram who ordered to have him taken, I had no part in it."

" You're his general." Amber glared, " As far as I'm concerned, you practically signed his arrest warrant."

Jay shook his head, but didn't argue any further, instead turning and continuing out of the door. She had surprised him; he knew she'd be difficult to work with, but never had he imagined it possible that someone so feared and angry could also be capable of such emotion. Winning her over was going to be harder than he thought. Jay was going to have to re-think his tactics.


	5. Chapter 5

Mouse sat on the floor in her and Sammy's room, surrounded by a large pile of dolls. Her straggly jet black hair hung on her face as she casually yanked the head off yet another plastic doll, tossing it's body onto a large pile of headless figurines in the corner.

" Here you go." Mouse grinned, flinging the dollhead at her friend, who caught it with one hand, before pulling a navy blue lighter out of his pocket and setting it alight. The children's eyes lit up while they watched the plastic melt as the head became engulfed in fire. Sammy then carelessly threw it out of the door, leaving it to burn out with all of the other melting balls of fire.

" What are you doing?" Salene's voice came from around the corner as the red haired raven marched into the room, her leather trousers almost as bright as her hair. Mouse rolled her eyes at the woman.

" Relax." Mouse whined, " We're just having a bit of fun."

" Fun?" Salene's eyes were as black and expressionless as the tank top she was wearing.

" Yeah," Sammy clarified, " You ever heard of it? It's when you actually take a break from trying to conquer the world and chill out for a second."

" Taking over the world _is _fun. And we're one step closer now that Amber's back here."

" Amber, Amber, Amber" Mouse rolled her eyes, " That's all we ever hear. Well if she's going to get rid of those technos can she hurry up already? I'm sick of not being able to go outside just because those stupid do gooders want to make us go to school."

" Don't worry." Salene smiled, " School will be a thing of the past once we regain control. I can tell you that…"

Mouse and Sammy nodded, grinning.

Dee threw the lime-haired teenager against the brick wall.

" Listen here you dirty piece of scum!" she snarled, " If I ever catch you releasing my prisoners again you'll wish you were dead!"

Ebony ran up gracefully.

" Dee," she said, mortified, " Put him down!"

Dee dropped the boy and he scurried off, terrified.

" What are you doing here?" Dee asked.

" I'm on my way to the mall." Ebony replied, " I need to see if it's true; what they're saying about Amber… being back."

" Oh it's true alright." Dee nodded, " She was in pretty bad shape, after what your new best friends did to her. But she lived." Dee looked Ebony up and down, " Let's hope you don't."

Ebony gulped as the pink haired former mosquito and ally marched off down the alleyway, shoving a passerby into a wall as she went, before lightly dusting her hand on her black lycra bodysuit.

" So we should probably really be heading back to the eco camp now Amber." Trudy suggested, " I'm missing Brady, and I'm sure you want to see little Bray again."

" Yeah I guess." Amber shrugged, " We can't leave yours alone for too long, she's probably already burned down the entire campsite."

" Yeah…" Trudy smiled proudly, " I'm just glad she doesn't take after Zoot."

" God, imagine that." Amber said, mortified at the idea, " She'd be marching around calling for order and _democracy."_

" Don't even talk about that possibility." Trudy gulps, " I will not raise her to become some kind of _upright citizen."_

" Speaking of upright citizens," Amber starts, " did anyone manage to waste Jay on his way out of here?"

" Not that I know of. Though I'm pretty sure Pride would've tried if he'd gotten the chance."

" Sorry?" Amber asked, unsure of what Trudy was getting at.

" Oh come on Amber. The guy's crazy about you." Trudy laughed "He was furious when you made him leave you two alone in your bedroom…"

" Don't even go there Trudy. I would never sink that low." Amber said firmly.

" Don't try and tell me you weren't attracted to him." Trudy giggled, " I know you were."

" He's responsible for taking Bray away from me. And even if I was," Amber said, taking a sip of her drink, " Bray will be back soon, and he'll kill anyone who even so much as looks in my direction."

" How sweet." Trudy said admiringly. " Has he ever actually done that?"

" Yeah." Amber nodded, as if Trudy had forgotten something important, " Don't you remember Sasha? Bray and I weren't even together but he still managed to make it look like a disappearing act."

" Oh my god." Trudy gaped, appalled, " I liked that guy. And his motorbike…"

" Anyway the point is that I only flirt with guys now when I need them out of my way, that way Bray does all of the dirty work and I get what I want." Amber informed her friend, who was in awe.

" You sly piece of work. All of those poor innocent guys…" Trudy giggled. Amber smirked and took another sip of her drink.

" Excuse me?" Came Ebony's sweet voice as she trotted into the café.

" Well, if it isn't Mother Theresa herself." Amber remarked, " Do you have a death wish Ebony?"

" Look Amber," Ebony gulped as Amber slowly walked towards her, backing her off into a corner, " I don't want to fight you. I just want you to accept my apology."

" No thanks." Amber declined, her eyes narrowed, " I'd rather just have Pride shoot you down where you stand."

" Look," Ebony yelped, " Ram knows I'm here, so if you hurt me you'll have him to answer to."

" Is that a threat?" Amber asked, " Because you know I don't respond well to threats Ebony."

" It's not a threat," Ebony replied, standing her ground, " It's a promise."

" Well here's a promise for you," Amber said, closing in on her enemy, with Trudy and Salene behind her- both with equally intimidating looks on their faces, " If you don't leave right _now, _you and your little Techno army will wish they never bothered me in the first place. Got it?"

Ebony gulped, her eyes filled with terror as the woman she feared most in the world took yet another step towards her…


	6. Chapter 6

**Two weeks later…**

Amber and Jay sat down on the end of her bed, facing each other.

" So Jay," Amber said as she lay down on her bed, " What are you really here for?"

" Sorry?" Jay asked, perplexed

" You said when you first came here that you wanted to propose a truce, but you've visited me three times since then and I haven't given you what you wanted, so why do you keep coming back?" Amber replied. A momentary silence filled the dark room.

" After my first visit I'm starting to doubt Ram's motives." Jay sighed

" And you want my side of the story? How do you know I'm telling the truth." Amber asked, twiddling her thumbs as she stared at the ceiling.

" Call it instinct, but the minute I met you I felt like I could trust you." Jay smirked, leaning down, placing his hands either side of Amber's body and lowering his head so that his face was less than an inch above Amber's.

" Careful Jay, trust will get you nowhere in this world."

" Ebony told me about you- she said you were back. She's terrified you'll come after her." Jay informed, still close to Amber's face.

" Maybe I will," Amber shrugged, not at all intimidated by how close her enemy was getting

" I'll look forward to it." Jay grinned

Amber sat up, pushing Jay aside casually

" I see you're not a fan of her either. Being a techno, I would've thought that her selflessness would be right up your alley…" she said.

" Well," Jay whispered into Amber's ear, " let's just say, I'm starting to have doubts about Ram's objectives. He's moral, selfless, kind and probably the most naïve person I've ever met… Ebony's not far behind."

" And you're not?" Amber asked, closing the gap between her and Jay's bodies as she slowly ran her finger up his chest. " Let me guess, you're really a vindictive, violent and completely obnoxious troublemaker caught on the wrong side of the battle line?"

" Pretty much." Jay smiled, eyeing Amber closely, " How about you? Are you as ruthless and evil as they say?"

" I'm worse." Amber smirked.

" Good." Jay said, moving in until his lips were almost touching hers before pausing momentarily. Amber didn't protest as grabbed her, pulling her into a rough kiss. She kissed him back. Jay started to grab her around the waist, but she cast him aside with a flick of her hand.

" I'm _also_ taken." Amber said brushing Jay's hands away from her without a second thought and stepping up from the bed.

" So am I." Jay smirked, standing up and following her.

" Do I know her?" Amber asked, adjusting the straps of her singlet.

" Yes." Jay replied, as he moved in closer.

Amber had her back to him, but she could feel his breathing on her shoulder.

" Would it be worth making her jealous by hooking up with you?" Amber asked as Jay touched her waist.

" Is that all I'd be?" Jay whispered, " A piece in your strategic game of vengeance?"

" That's all anyone is in this world Jay." Amber grinned, turning around slowly to face her opponent, who was just inches away from her and still had a grip around her waist.

" Even Bray?" Jay queried. Amber gulped.

" He was different." Amber replied abruptly quickly brushing Jay's hands aside and stepping back towards her bed.

" Was he?" Jay asked flatly, " You don't seem that cut up about his disappearance anyway. You don't fool me Amber. Admit it. He was just the muscle behind the power wasn't he? Your bodyguard- Bray."

Amber's eyes filled with rage as her right hand swung outward and clawed Jay's cheek, drawing blood.

" Pride!" Amber called. The tall muscular man arrived within seconds. "Lock him up." she ordered

" What?" Jay said, exasperated.

Amber ignored the blonde, instead nodding to Pride, who quickly materialized a pair of handcuffs, locking his enemy's hands behind his back and pushing him towards the door.

" You'll regret this Amber!" Jay yelled angrily as Pride shoved him out of the room.

Amber did not bat an eyelid. Instead, she stood with her arms folded, watching the indifferent techno disappear from view.

**One Week Later**

Ram sat in his armchair, his leather clad feet resting on the rim of the antique oak desk. A faint knock on the door quickly brought him out of his thoughts, quickly glancing upwards.

"Enter" He called.

Ved marched in quickly.

" Do you know where Jay is?" Ram asked abruptly.

" I haven't seen him in over a week." Ved reported, his voice monotonous and unwavering.

" Hmm" Ram nodded, " Me neither. That's a shame; he wasn't a bad general."

" You're not even going to look for him?" Ved asked, his voice rising slightly.

" Don't take that tone with me!" Ram reprimanded, slightly taken aback by her lack of respect. " You'd better be careful Ebony, or I might start to reconsider the decision I made to believe you when you said you weren't like the other mallrats."

" I'm sorry, Lord Ram." Ved apologized, lowering his head submissively

" Yeah well so am I" Ram sneered, " Go on. Get out of my sight."

Ram waved his hand toward the door, signaling for Ved to leave.

Ebony hung, bloodied and bruised, like a scarecrow on the frame of an old train. Barely conscious, she wondered if anyone would find her before she died. She hoped, prayed, that it would be a techno. The crunching of stones signaled the sound of what Ebony had been dreaming of for days, weeks even. She was unsure of how long she had been here, her arms strung up to the side of the old train. It amazed her that she had survived this long. But now, she heard them, footsteps. She just hoped that they weren't Amber's…

"Ebony?" Lex's voice sounded alarmed. She lifted her head up slowly, unable to cope with the pain of her wounds. Lex rushed to untie her, almost immediately pulling her down from the train, allowing her to lean on him. " Come on," he whispered soothingly, " Let's get you back to the hotel."

Lex was unsure of what had happened to Ebony, but he had a sneaking suspicion he knew who might've been responsible. The thought of what Amber might do to him if she found out he'd rescued her enemy made him feel slightly sick, but he had to do what was right. He had to try to save Ebony, no matter what the consequences


	7. Chapter 7

"What the hell happened to her out there?" Ram demanded to know, waving his arms around frantically as he paced up and down his office. Lex and Ved both stood sheepishly beside each other.

"She appears to have been beaten," Ved mumbled, "The medics found cuts all over her body. They think that whoever did it sliced her skin with some sort of blade."

Ram stopped by the fogged glass window, turning slowly to look at Lex. The techno leader eyed him suspiciously.

" What do you think about all of this Lex?" he asked, his voice sharp

" What… what do you mean?" the rugged sheriff replied cautiously

" Well, being sheriff and all, surely you'd know who in the city would do such a thing." Ram retorted, pacing towards Lex, hands perched on hips.

" Could be one of the Gulls?" Lex suggested, fidgeting slightly, " Or the Roosters? They're always one to make a statement…"

"Hmm," Ram pondered, slumping down into his throne, " So not any of the mallrats then? You're telling me it couldn't possibly have been Amber, who also happens to have a history with Ebony?"

" I think it's wrong for you to jump to conclusions like that Ram." Lex responded quickly, anger echoing in his voice.

" Not at all," Ram shrugged, " It makes sense. I could have her arrested right now."

" But you've got no proof." Lex said, panicked

" True, but even if we can't bring her in on the grounds of assault; she was the last person known to have seen Jay before he went missing. I'd say kidnapping is reason enough to warrant an arrest, wouldn't you?"

* * *

Java stood by her sister, Siva, her arms folded across the gold techno emblem, eyes locked on Ebony, who lay unconscious in the bed.

" How long will she be under?" Java enquired

" Not a clue," Siva shrugged, " Let's just pray to god that she doesn't wake up until her wounds have healed. She'll be in more pain than she can bare."

" But if that does happen, can't we just give her more medication? Sedate her or something?" Java asked, worried.

" Careful, you sound worried." Siva smiled

" I can't help it," Java frowned, glancing over at her youngest sister in the bed, " I don't care that she ditched us for Zoot's peace and democracy back then. We've got Ram now, and he can do more good in this world than Zoot could ever have dreamed of. Ebony's left the mallrats; she's seen the light. The least we can do is forgive her…"

" If she survives…" Siva replied glumly

" Well," Java sighed, "We can only hope."

* * *

Lex raced into the mall, breathless from running through the city.

" Amber! Pride!" he called, racing up the stairs.

Amber, Pride, Trudy and Salene stood up quickly from the table in the café.

" What's wrong?" Trudy asked, slightly alarmed by Lex's ruffled manner.

" Ram." Lex replied quietly, gaining his breath back, " He's issued an arrest warrant for Amber."

" On what grounds?" Salene queried

" Kidnap. Assault." Lex listed. The four mallrats erupted angrily.

" Assault?" Trudy shrieked, " That's ridiculous!"

" That's it. He's dead. An arrow- straight through the heart; that should do it. We'll get rid of his lot and his wimp of a tribe will be running scared."

" Yeah, that's really going to work Pride. You're the only person in the whole of the city who owns a cross bow." Salene laughed.

" Well then we'll blow the hotel." Pride suggested, " Make it look like an inside job. We've got that no good techno rotting in the cells downstairs; let's just strap him with some C4 and send him home."

" And I suppose you've got tones of explosive just sitting around have you? Where in the world are you supposed to find C4 these days?" Trudy asked exasperatedly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I know a guy." Pride replied quickly. Trudy rolled her eyes.

" Silence!" Amber ordered, raising her right hand in the air to get the others' attention, " We're not doing anything as stupid and disorganized as what you lot are suggesting. When we take down the technos, which we will, we'll do it with class. And we'll tie up all loose ends. Blowing up their central control system is not going to help us find the rest of the mallrats."

" Here here." Lex nodded, " Violence is not the answer."

" Shut up Lex." Amber sniped, " I didn't say we weren't going to make them suffer."

Lex folded his arms defensively.

" Well," Pride asked, " What do we do?"

" Yeah," Trudy supported, " I don't know about everyone else, but I'm not just going to sit by and watch as you get arrested by those sniveling peacekeepers Amber. In fact many of them might find themselves impaled on the guardrail by the time I'm finished with them."

Salene giggled as Pride smirked. Amber rolled her eyes.

" You guys aren't going to just let them get away with it, are you?" Amber asked them. The group shook their heads. " Ok then. Trudy, it's time to go."

" Where are you going?" Lex asked, taken aback.

" We're leaving." Amber replied, " The technos are too strong for us. We need to build up a resistance against them. And as much as I'd like to do that right under their noses, I think I've got too much of a high profile to stay here for any longer. It's about time we got back to the Ecos anyway."

" I'm coming with you." Pride insisted, earning a glare from Salene.

" No you're not. You're staying here. I need people on the inside and you're my main guy." Amber informed, " Trudy, can you go get our stuff? I'll meet you by the fountain in five minutes."

Suddenly a loud bang alerted the group to the arrival of the technos.

" We'll hold them off." Pride said, grabbing his crossbow, " You guys head out the sewers."

" Hang on." Amber said, " Trudy, you go ahead. Leave the city and I'll meet you at the farm. I need to do something first."

Trudy looked alarmed, but didn't object, instead heading off in the direction of the sewers.

" What's your plan?" Salene asked, slipping a gold bladed dagger into her belt.

" I'm going to deal with Jay first. He knows more than he's letting on." Amber replied quietly as Pride passed her, accompanying Lex down the stairs.

" Don't be too hard on him. I'm sure he meant it when he said he wanted your side of the story." Salene looked around to check if anyone was listening, before turning back to Amber, "He's not bad looking either." she smirked. Amber stayed serious, but couldn't fight the smile that had formed on her lips.

" That's beside the point." Amber grinned, " Anyway, I've gotta go."

" Yes you do." Salene nodded, hugging Amber quickly, " Good luck."

* * *

Amber quickly let go of her friend, marching off towards the cells.

Jay sat, huddled up against the splintered cell wall. His lips were cracked, his hands calloused, and his eyes bloodshot- sleep deprived. Jay couldn't begin to understand Amber's motives. One minute she was interested in him; they talked for hours at a time about anything that crossed their minds. Then the next she was ordering Pride to lock him up. Why? He couldn't understand her, even more so; he couldn't understand his growing urge to see her, even after all that she had done to him.

The rusty bars of the cell door suddenly opened, making a loud clanking noise that alerted Jay to the presence of yet another possible torturer. The blonde glanced up slowly, his worried expression turning into a slight smirk when he saw her.

" Come to finish me off?" he teased, unwavering.

Amber stood looking down at him; her unforgiving eyes bore coldly down into him. Jay was unsure of what she was planning, but he prayed that, whatever it was, he'd survive it, somehow…


	8. Chapter 8

" Get up." Amber ordered with an urgent tone.

" What's going on?" Jay asked curiously

" Your friends are here." she replied, her tone becoming harsh, " And somehow they've got enough troops to defeat us."

" They always did." Jay grinned, slowly standing up. Amber glared at him; her eyes level with his now that he was standing. " What?" he asked teasingly, " Did you honestly think they wouldn't come looking for me?"

" They're not looking for _you."_ she groaned impatiently, moving past Jay to the wall he was sitting in front of, " They're looking for me."

Jay watched unsurely as the blonde pulled at the splintered wood. She turned around to him, " Well come on!" Amber urged, " Help me."

In spite of himself, Jay didn't hesitate. Almost immediately, he knelt down beside Amber and began removing the planks of wood from the wall. Within minutes, the wood was completely removed, revealing a large opening into the car park outside. Jay realized it was dark outside, and was relieved to have some sense of time having not seen the light of day in over a week.

Amber quickly began to clamber through the hole, with Jay following soon after. To his surprise, Jay found Amber waiting anxiously on the other side of the wall for him.

" Shouldn't we cover that up?" Jay asked, gesturing towards the escape hatch

" No time. They're already searching the mall. The only reason they didn't find you before I did is because they don't know their way around. I know the place like the back of my hand so I took a few shortcuts, but they'll have started to catch up by now." Amber explained, almost short of breath.

" What about your friends?" Jay queried

" Pride and Salene are fighting them off upstairs so we can get out of here. We got a heads up from Lex. Trudy left already."

" Why didn't you leave with her?"

" I had unfinished business here." Amber replied abruptly, " Come on. We need to be out by nightfall."

The two of them ran through the car park, headed towards the city limits.

* * *

In the café, Pride laughed as the several of the Techno's tased him with their stun guns.

"Don't," he giggled, his hands bound by the ropes that held him to the chair, "That tickles."

Ved stood before him, frowning in confusion, his arms folded. Raising a hand, he cautioned for his men to stop.

" That's enough. He won't talk. You'll just have to bring him back with us; we'll ask Ram what he wants to do with him…" he said monotonously, scowling at the delirious mallrat before marching away.

Pride's five captors quickly untied him, dragging him out of the kitchen. Pride snickered, amused by their apparent struggle to lift him. The techno's paused briefly at the top of the stairs in an attempt to gather themselves together, allowing Pride to shoot a wink in the direction of the children's bedroom across the balcony. Salene, who had snuck behind the column concealing the room earlier, bit her lip, grinning back in his direction before watching Pride be frog-marched out of the mall.

* * *

Trudy fidgeted impatiently as she sat waiting on a tree stump in the forests surrounding the city limits. Sighing, she kicked the bark beneath her feet in an effortless last-ditch attempt to entertain herself while she waited. Suddenly, a slight movement in a nearby bush followed by several agitated whispers caused her to bolt upright, slowly sliding the small bronze dagger out from the leather pocket in her boot. Carefully, and ever so quietly, she stood, dagger in hand, awaiting the potential threat.

As the bushes rustled more and more, the faint voices became clearer, allowing her to relax her stance.

" Jesus Jay!" Amber groaned, making her way out of the hedges, quickly dusting herself off, " Anyone would think you'd never seen a tree before…"

Trudy quickly concealed the dagger back in the lining of her boot so as not to allow her counterparts to see it.

" Well I'm sorry if my reluctance to please my insane sociopathic captor by following her on some mad escape from the city has inconvenienced you Amber." Jay scoffed, angrily flicking the mud clusters that had gathered on the shoulders of his uniform, " but maybe if you'd just left me in the city to be found by MY tribe then it would have saved you some bother!"

" YOUR tribe didn't even come looking for you after we locked you up. I'd be grateful to have been kidnapped by this _insane sociopath_ you speak of if I was in your position." Amber scowled, backing Jay into a nearby tree.

Trudy folded her arms, rolling her eyes in annoyance. Pushing Amber into the trunk of the opposite tree, an infuriated Jay blocked her from escaping; closing the gap so they were only inches away.

" At least they have a purpose, they want to build a future for everyone. They've got resources, power," Jay smirked, his eyes becoming darker, " oh yeah, and a certain brainless idiot with anger problems, but we're all friends here, let's just call him Bray, shall we?"

" If you weren't of any value to me right now I'd stab you." Amber hissed through clenched teeth.

" Oh yeah, and what value might this be?" Jay inquired, " Are you sure that's why you brought me with you?" Moving closer, Jay almost completely closed the spaced between them, now able to feel his opponent breathing, " or is it something more? Something from those first couple of weeks when we met that you might not want to share with the rest of your tribe…"

From afar, but still within earshot of the conversation, a concerned Trudy raised an eyebrow.

" Your incessant arrogance could turn me into a mass murderer Jay. Do you really think this is about you?"

" You tell me…" the blonde techno smiled.

Jay and Amber stared into each other's eyes for a more extended period of time than usual. Jay could see the woman's eyes burning with hatred, and it amused him. He'd heard the saying; there's a thin line between love and hate, and if he could just push her over that line…

" Ah-hem" Trudy coughed, provoking Amber and Jay to spin around quickly and look at her, though they still didn't separate properly, " If it's ok with you I'd like to make it to the eco camp sometime this _year. _Though I hope that isn't too much to ask- after all I wouldn't want to break up this continual argument you two appear to have going…"

" So that's where we're going," Jay nodded, making sense of things.

" Yes," Amber huffed, shoving Jay aside and proceeding towards Trudy, " If, of course, you'll shut up long enough for us to get there. You have no idea how much self control it's taking not to kill you with my bare hands."

" Right," Jay smirked, " Though it wouldn't be the first time you've wanted to do something to me with those hands, would it?"

Trudy's eyes widened in shock, while Amber's narrowed in rising irritation.

" Amber," Trudy said hesitantly, "What's he talking about?"

Ignoring her best friend, who seemed at unease after hearing Jay's cryptic comment, Amber turned and began walking away.

" Let's go," she ordered, her tone shrill, " We want to make it a fair distance by nightfall, just in case the Techno's decide to put down their gameboys and come out for a walk."

Trudy eyed Jay suspiciously as he followed Amber along the pathway, before trailing along behind the two, shaking her head in disbelief.

* * *

" Lord Ram," Ved reported, standing straight before his leader, " We've captured Amber's so-called hit man. He won't talk though, not to us."

Ram appeared unsurprised by this news, instead staring out of the large window in his office; his feet perched on the desk.

" Did you ask him about Ebony? Any information on what they did to her?" the Techno leader inquired, still staring out of the window.

" He won't answer. We've even resorted to the intense tasing sessions, but he seems to find pain amusing. The man is quite deranged." Ved sighed

" That'd make sense." Ram snorted, " Anyone who spends that much time with Amber is bound to be driven to the brink of madness."

" What do you want us to do about it, sir?" Ved questioned

Ram dropped his feet to the floor, spinning around to look his lieutenant in the eye.

" Put him in the program." he ordered, eyes narrowed, " Let him see just what our power can do…"


	9. Chapter 9

The techno guard scowled at his prisoner as he attempted to strap a restless Pride into the black leather seat. Pride laughed,

" What's the matter," he teased, " worried that I'll overpower you?" The techno's worried eyes darted quickly to look at his much larger opponent, obviously afraid that Pride's threats may become a reality. " Hey," Pride said, feigning sympathy, "It's alright. I'm sure Ram will understand how a wimp like you wasn't able to detain me. He's supposed to be some kind of angel isn't he? Here to save us all from the evil mallrats."

" Quite right." Ved responded calmly as he entered the room, the red wooden door snapping shut quickly behind him, " Now, Pride, you have a choice here. Talk, and we'll spare you the correction treatment. Should you refuse again to cooperate, then we'll have no other choice but to run the program."

Pride stayed silent, his face expressionless; obstinate.

" Alrighty," Ved clapped his hands together, "Begin phase one of the correction."

The techno guards sitting at the three monitors in the corner of the room busily began typing on their computers. The feeble techno boy Pride had encountered earlier on hastily secured a helmet-like screen to Pride's head. Watching from beside the other technos, Ved watched Pride intently as he waited for the program to start.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ebony?" Siva's gruff voice resonated through Ebony's rising consciousness. Ebony was sore- incredibly sore. Her bones ached and she could feel the pain from the cuts and bruises searing through her withered body.

" What… what happened to me?" Ebony croaked.

Java raised an eyebrow at Siva, who shrugged.

" You mean," Java hesitated, "You don't remember?"

" I…" Ebony started, her voice still weak, " I remember… talking to Amber… then she… it… it all goes fuzzy from there."

" So Amber was the culprit then." Java whispered to Siva

" Well," Siva smirked, glancing at her bloodied, bruised younger sister as she drifted off to sleep, " they say not to mess with Amber. I guess now we know why…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jay flew back into the air, landing on the withered leaves below a few feet from where he had previously been standing. He'd had the wind knocked out of him- that was for sure. While Jay had always known the leader of the mallrats had a fiery temper, nothing he'd ever imagined compared to the wrath he felt raining down on him now. He wasn't scared though, in fact, he was ashamed with himself; the more evil she became, the more he seemed to like her.

The long branch Amber had been wielding pounded heavily on the ground inches from Jay's face. She was trying to make him feel threatened, but it wasn't working.

" When will you learn?" Jay asked, rolling out from under what would've been a strike aimed directly at him. He stood up quickly, obstructing the branch and snatching it from the clutches of the enraged blonde. " Nothing you do or say will make me afraid of you."

Amber stopped, looking him directly in the eye.

" I set a child on fire once." she declared, determined to prove her enemy wrong

" I'm sure the rodent deserved it." Jay shrugged. Amber looked taken aback- no do-gooder could possibly be ok with such a thing. He had to be bluffing, so she decided to enlighten him about some more of her past experiences.

" I tortured members of the chosen with Jack's electro magnetic waves."

" How original." Jay laughed.

" I beheaded a loco." she screamed. Why wasn't he reacting?

At this, Trudy, tired of their constant bickering, picked up her bowl of berries and wandered off from their hiding place.

" Did you keep the head?" Jay asked, intrigued. Amber looked at him.

" You're sick." she said, appalled.

" You're the one who did it." Jay countered.

" Don't be stupid. I made the last one up to see how far you'd go!"

" Oh, so you're a liar too?"

" Of course I am!" Amber yelled, " You don't get anywhere in this world by being honest Jay. God- you technos are so full of yourselves."

Jay grabbed Amber by the throat, thrusting her back into the tree trunk behind her.

" No." Jay growled, " You mallrats are idiots!" He tightened the grip around Amber's neck. Though he never intended to act this way with her for fear of making a bad impression, Jay felt that this was the only way to get his message through. " Why do you think the Technos rose to power the minute they came in? Because they promised to keep the scared little children safe. And it worked too. You mallrats were out before you could cry war! It's all about power, Amber. And right now, the technos have power. And that," he paused, unsure of whether to give his cards away, "Is the only reason I joined them- power."

Amber grinned. Finally, she'd managed to coax the monster bubbling inside of Jay out of its hiding place. He looked surprised at how calm she was. Why wouldn't she be- this was no revelation. She knew from the moment she met Jay that, whether he knew it or not, he was no techno. He was a leech- seeking power wherever it could be found, like Bray was when she met him. She knew of his thirst for power. It couldn't be tamed by anything; Bray had shown her that. Nothing could quench this unwavering determination to be on top, nothing except…

Amber looked at him.

" I think you can put me down now." she said calmly. Jay obliged, releasing his grip on Amber's neck and catching her as her feet hit the ground.

Amber really couldn't have timed the fall better- here she was, about to tame the beast and he'd made things easier by closing his hands round her waist to catch her. Amber slowly stroked the blonde techno's chest.

" You forget, Jay." she purred, moving her mouth so that it was less than an inch away from his, " That with power, there must be chaos. Otherwise, it won't be _true_ power. Join me, and we can recreate that- power, and chaos." In his best efforts, Jay's eyes managed to remain cold as Amber slowly caressed his cheek.

" You forget- I'm already with Ebony. And you're with Bray." he spoke calmly, quietly.

" But they're not here right now, are they?" Amber whispered, moving her lips closer to his, " And if we play our cards right, neither of them ever have to know…"

With that, Amber's lips connected with Jay's, the kiss quickly deepening in a matter of seconds. Jay's grip around her waist tightened as he pulled her in closer, wanting more. Amber closed her arms around Jay's neck, she too, eager to advance in what was quickly becoming a passionate encounter, fuelled by what Jay believed could only be the realization that what he had begun feeling for her over the past few weeks was indeed mutual.

It was as Amber's hands found their way up the back of Jay's black vest that a voice interrupted them, jolting the pair completely out of each other's arms.

" I thought I'd come to check if the two of you had killed each other yet, but it seems things have taken a turn in… another direction…" Trudy commented, arms folded as she stood in the opening to their hideout.

Amber started to explain, but they were quickly interrupted by the sound of barking dogs, accompanied by the loud yelling of voices.

" Techno search party." Jay informed, grabbing Amber's arms and nodding for Trudy to follow them as they began to abandon the area.

The trio raced out of the willow and down into a valley, fleeing from the sound of the search party as it began to get closer, and closer…


	10. Chapter 10

**_Sorry for not posting in a while- been really busy with school stuff and I haven't had much time for writing L A very Jamber chapter this time but I needed to set it up for future storylines/relationship drama. Please comment J _**

It was nighttime- cold, damp and dark as the escapees lay in wait. The howling of the dogs grew more distant- fading away into the evening sky. They were in some kind of barn, Jay thought. Nowhere else could possibly harbor such a pungent odor. Trudy had collapsed a while ago onto some of the hay bales; exhausted from the chase. He didn't blame her. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Amber still sat upright next to him, staring off into the distance, he might've caught some shut-eye himself.

They'd run for what felt like hours- weaving in and out of valleys; hiding in caves; even, at one stage, nearly drowning themselves in a river as the dogs closed in on them. Amber thought it would get rid of their scent. Well- his scent- according to her, they were only tracking him because they only had access to his possessions. She was quite clever actually- for a mallrat. He'd heard they were mindless savages- only intent on destroying any form of peace that came their way. Of course, Jay had always wondered how such disorganization was ever so successful. Then he met her...

She was far from mindless, or disorganized and it was clear she had been steering the mallrats this whole time. Amber was a monster, yes, but something inside her knew that pure mindless havoc would not gain her power. It was appalling really- her ability to know so much about the terrors of the world and still venture to make it more of a living hell. She could do it, too. In fact, she probably still had enough support from the people to singlehandedly bring down Ram if she wanted to. But she wouldn't- not yet. That puzzled him actually.

" Don't think too much." Amber's whisper cut into his thoughts, "You might end up with an aneurism. We wouldn't want that."

" Sarcasm?" he asked, too tired for her incessant innuendo

" Not sure." she quipped, smiling slightly as she turned to look at him.

" Are you always this perplexing?" Jay already knew the answer to that, but for some reason he still felt the need to ask.

" It'd be no fun if I was predictable." she pointed out, resting a head on her counterpart's shoulder.

Jay stiffened slightly- surprised by this sudden, almost gentle maneuver, but it soon became clear that she had no hidden agenda- not this time, so the blonde techno relaxed again, and closed his muscular arm around her shoulder, pulling her in closer.

They could've been sat there for centuries- not talking or even looking at each other. To say Jay felt uncomfortable would've been an understatement- he'd never seen her so… vulnerable. Finally she spoke, her voice wavering slightly- something was troubling her.

" Do you know where he is?" she asked tentatively.

" No." Jay replied- it was true- prisoner locations weren't his responsibility. Amber hesitated.

" Do you know if he's alive?"

" Ram doesn't kill unless provoked. As long as Bray didn't cause any trouble, he's alive." Jay sighed. Talking to Amber about her boyfriend was difficult for him- now that they were… he wasn't sure what to call it… involved?

" So he's dead then?" she laughed.

Jay looked down towards her. She was smiling but it her eyes said otherwise.

" What happens to us? If he's still alive?" Jay asked. It had slipped out really- it had just been playing on his mind for so long that he simply couldn't contain it anymore.

" He'll kill you." she replied, "Unless I go back to him."

" So either way, this is a dead end relationship?"

" No." Amber smiled, sitting up. "This," she stroked Jay's chest slowly, " Is our chance to take back the city. Forget about Bray, and that stuck-up moral bitch of yours; they don't matter. We'll take down Ram and rule with the only thing that matters in this world."

" Power and Chaos?" Jay smirked, taking hold of Amber's hand as it slowly caressed his cheek.

" Power and Chaos." she nodded.

They kissed, as if to seal the agreement. Jay only hoped that when the time came he could live up to her expectations. He hadn't forgotten though- she still didn't answer my question about what would happen once she got Bray back. Jay knew that would be playing on his mind for a while now, but somehow, as their kissing grew more intense and Amber quickly straddled herself onto Jay's hips, he somehow managed to set aside those doubts. He no longer cared where they were headed. All that mattered was right now, and right now, they were unstoppable. She was his and Bray was gone. They were going to unleash madness…

TO BE CONTINUED...


	11. Chapter 11

**Not posted in a while, sorry! I wasn't sure what direction I wanted to take this story in but I've finally decided! Please read and review!**

Pride's wayward dreadlocks hung around his head, tired eyes lulled back into their sockets- red, watering; begging for rest. He wasn't proud of himself. For once, Pride had given up; he'd let his tribe down.

Though, at the same time, he was having the time of his life. The technos had created a reality around him that was everything he'd ever wanted and more. He flew through cloudy skies- thick with the smoke of forests he'd burned. He got to watch everything in nature turn to dust at his discretion. It was the perfect hell. Pride loved it.

Ved watched his opponent with immense curiosity. The man seemed so strong- it had taken him days to be worn down. Eventually they gave up on correcting him; using the VR headsets to show him the way. A blind man could've seen that Pride of the Mallrats was a lost cause.

Instead they played on his deepest desires- it was no secret that the mallrats wanted death and destruction. Ram wasn't yet aware of the decision Ved had made to abuse the virtual technology. Ved wasn't sure he would ever let Ram in on the secret either- nobody wants a weak man making the tough decisions in a world like this.

Because that's what Ram was- a weak man. If it hadn't been for Jay's vision Ram would simply be a geek with too many computers for his own good. Jay saw what they could do with such advanced technology and convinced Ram to "help" the world. Until a few days ago, Ved believed that's what Jay wanted. Now the rumors were circulating about Jay's affiliation with the Mallrats, in particular their leader, Amber. Treachery both disgusted and intrigued Ved, but he wasn't sure about where he stood concerning his brothers betrayal just yet…

" Turn it back on" Pride pleaded, his voice wavering, cracked.

Ved straightened up in his chair.

" You Mallrats," he sighed, "Never learned your manners, did you?"

Ved stood up and looked towards the guard. "Toss him out on the streets. We've done all we can for him."

ay and Amber sat together in the corner of the barn whispering quietly. Trudy hadn't long woken up with the sunrise, but she sensed that in the short while she slept something had happened between her two counterparts. It disgusted her.

Though Trudy always enjoyed teasing Bray about any other object of Amber's affections whenever they came along, she always knew that her words were of empty substance- Amber's loyalty to Bray was stronger than any fling. She'd watched Bray endure countless men vying for his girlfriend's attention- some were successful, like Sasha and Pride, others weren't. Whenever someone else came along Trudy feared how Bray might react- he'd tried to kill Pride with his bare hands right in front of her before and his hotheaded fits of rage were not something any of his victims usually survived. Luckily, on this occasion, Pride held his own and fought back, but the whole thing rocked the very ground of Amber and Bray's relationship. Amber vowed never to stray again in exchange for Bray allowing Pride to live.

Trudy liked Pride, and she knew that if and when Bray came back to discover Amber's new relationship with Jay, all cards would be on the table. She didn't like the thought of that… But what was she to do? Tell Jay to leave? Slap Amber senseless until she reneged? Considering how appalled she was at this new union that had befallen in front of her very eyes, Trudy preferred the latter.

Trudy gagged as Jay's hand slipped under Amber's top. Had they really not noticed her?

" You two might want to stop before someone gets hurt." she said, disgust apparent in her tone of voice.

Amber turned to look at her, sliding Jay's hand out from her top.

" Relax Trude," she laughed callously, "Bray's not here."

Amber grinned at Jay, who gave her an uncertain smile in reply.

" Who says he'll be the one throwing the sharp objects?" Trudy raised an eyebrow at her best friend.

" What's that supposed to mean?" Jay asked curiously

" It doesn't matter" Amber told him quickly, " She's all talk"

Trudy scoffed and stood up.

" I'm leaving." she reported, " Unlike some I remember why we left the mall in the first place. I want to see my daughter."

" We're coming too." Amber replied sharply, pulling Jay up by the hand and following Trudy, who was at the door.

Trudy stepped out of the Barn door and onto the grass with a smile on her face. No sooner though, was she attacked from the side- knocked down by an unknown assailant. Amber and Jay froze- they weren't yet in sight.

" Technos" Amber hissed under her breath as the hooded figure climbed off an unconscious Trudy.

"Not quite" came a female voice, the assailant turning to look at them.

Amber recognized it in an instant and rolled her eyes.

The woman removed her hood, smiling a glittery smirk.

" Hello Ebony." Amber sighed…


End file.
